


Every Step of the Way

by Emjen_Enla



Series: Prompted Works [2]
Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: Annoyed and stressed-out Jude Duarte, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Drunk Cardan Greenbriar, F/M, Mornings, Post-Book 1: The Cruel Prince, Pre-Book 2: The Wicked King, Responsibility, again big surprise, big surprise there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 19:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18901015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emjen_Enla/pseuds/Emjen_Enla
Summary: Jude tries to get Cardan out of bed. Written for the prompt "To be honest I could[n’t] care less" on Tumblr.





	Every Step of the Way

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own TFotA. This is set pre-TWK.
> 
> I wrote this as a request for a prompt off a list on Tumblr. If you'd like to prompt me, the prompt list is on my Tumblr @emjenenla.

Jude wasn’t sure why Cardan’s behavior bothered her as much as it did. Things would have been far worse if she’d put Cardan on the throne only for him to decide that he actually did want to give this king thing a shot and had tested her authority. All Jude needed was for Cardan to keep the throne warm until Oak grew up, as long as he did that, what did it really matter if he spent all his time drinking and partying and let her do the work?

The problem, of course, was that people needed to think that Cardan was actually ruling Faerie. Jude didn’t want anyone to figure out that the High King was actually a figurehead for his human senechal. She’d been raised in Faerie: she knew well enough to imagine what would happen in that situation.

But of course, that meant that Cardan needed to actually appear to do some governing every once and awhile.

Jude stalked into Cardan’s bedroom without hesitation. She refused to let him see that the idea of walking in on him in bed with someone made her extremely uncomfortable. She had trapped him with his vow of loyalty and he was not happy; if she gave him even a little leeway he would take advantage of it.

Thankfully, Cardan was alone today, though a heavy scent of alcohol hung in the air. She swept across the room and pulled the curtains open, flooding the room with light.

Cardan groaned and rolled onto his stomach, burying his face in his blankets. “Do you mind? I’m trying to sleep.”

“To be honest, I couldn’t care less,” Jude said, stalking over to the bed and crossing her arms. “I told you about this meeting multiple times. It’s your own fault you decided that the proper way to prepare was to get blind drunk. Get up: we need to get moving.”

Cardan shifted just enough to blink at her with one glittering eye but no further. He probably was still drunk, which wasn’t necessarily surprising. Jude had seen more of him drunk than sober. Vaguely, she was aware that if he was anyone else she’d probably be worried about him, but she wasn’t. He was a faerie so who knew what his limits were. Plus, she hated him.

Of course, she hated him. Why would she feel anything else?

“Get up,” she told him firmly. “Or I will have the Roach come in here and drag you out of bed himself.” she almost added “and drag you to this meeting in what you’re wearing” but Cardan would likely latch onto that as an opportunity to thwart her. Public humiliation didn’t bother Cardan, especially if it was for a cause he considered a good one, but he didn’t like to be manhandled, something which probably had more to do with Balekin and what Jude had seen while spying in the Hollow Hall than she ever let herself think about. Still, Cardan was almost as good at ignoring and hiding his weak spots as she was and would probably let the Roach drag him all the way to the meeting if it meant he got to humiliate himself and by extension, Jude, at the end. He wouldn’t, however, put up with it if there was no revenge waiting at the end.

When Cardan didn’t immediately start moving, Jude raised her voice and called, “Roach? Roach, come in here for a moment, will you?”

“Fine, fine,” Cardan practically launched himself off the bed. “I’m getting up.” His foot tangled in one of the trailing blankets and he almost fell, catching himself on a vanity at the last second and knocking several bottles and other trinkets onto the floor. He was definitely still drunk. She was going to be the only thing keeping today from being a disaster, per usual. She barely held back a sigh. She knew that Cardan’s disinterest would be helpful in the long run, but sometimes she wished that she didn’t have to fight him every step of the way.

The door opened and the Roach came in. “You called for me?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Jude said, narrowing her eyes are Cardan. “The High King was just going to get dressed so we can get moving.”


End file.
